PA toll hikes set lower than proposed

The Port Authority recently approved hikes that will see toll prices increase – though at a far lower rate than originally proposed.
Drivers will be paying $1.50 more at Port Authority tolls, avoiding the 50 percent hike introduced in early August.
The increase, which goes into effect in September, will be followed by a 75 cent bump each December until 2015. Drivers without an E-ZPass will face an additional $2 charge.
Governor Andrew Cuomo and New Jersey Governor Chris Christie expressed concerns over the “exorbitant” increases when the hikes were first proposed. They followed up with a letter to the PA on August 18, a day before the board was to vote, with a revised hike which eventually passed.
Motorists receive a 63 percent break from the original hike, and after increases, the incremental $4.50 hike will be 25 percent lower than first proposed.
The PA held nine public hearings on August 16, during which over 1,500 residents attended to voice their disapproval of the proposal. The PA said that each comment was reviewed along with Cuomo and Christie’s comments and letter.
The PA’s board voted unanimously on the new prices on August 19. The toll hike covers three crossings into New Jersey – the George Washington Bridge, the Holland and Lincoln Tunnels and three Staten Island bridges – The Goethals, Bayonne and the Outerbridge Crossing. Over 108 million vehicles used these crossings in 2009.
The new prices will go into effect on September 18. Tolls were last raised in 2008 from $6 to $8.
The original plan called for a $4 hike this year for E-ZPass users with an additional $2 hike in 2014. The PATH train fare will still be raised $1 – which was the original plan – but it will be spread over four years.
The increased revenue from the hikes will go towards the cost of the World Trade Center rebuilding and the overhaul of the agencies facilities, according to the PA. The toll and fare increase in 2011 is expected to result in approximately $720 million of additional annual revenue, and the increases in 2014 are expected to result in $290 million of additional annual revenue.